Antiglare appliance



F. KUSTER.

ANTIGLARE APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY29.19I9.

1,360,303. 2 Patented'Nov. 30,1920.

(June-M603 UNITED STATES FREDERICK KUSTER, OF NEW YORK, N.

ANTIGLARE APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 30 1920 Application filed July 29, 1919. Serial No. 314,153.

T 0 all who mil? may concern:

Be it known that I, F REDERIGK Kns'rnn, a citizen of the United States, residing 1n New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antiglare Appliances} of which the following s a specification.

My invention relates to an improved antiglare appliance forthe head-lights of moving vehicles, and is adapted to control the illuminating effect which a head-light is de signed to afford.

As is well known, modern automobiles, for instance, are frequently equippedwith lamps which are of such high power and which disperse their rays in such a manner that chauffeurs driving at night are often temporarily blinded; and great risk -of accident, often resulting in serious 1n ury to both automobiles and their occupants, us

created. This risk arises from the fact that" such lamps throw the light not only down-- ward upon the surface of theroad but also upward; and when two machines approach each other in the dark, if either machme carries such strong lights, the glare thereof is thrown directly intothe face of the dr ver of the other; and deprives him for the time being of the ability to see anythingimmediately ahead'of him. i V

An objectof my lIlVBIltlODlStO provide means for controlling the illuminating effect of head-lights on automobiles and other vehicles by directing "the bright glare down ward against the road-bed as far in advance of the machine as is necessary, and w thout diminishing the intensity of the light to any material extent; thereby avoiding interference with traffic and enabling such vehicles to pass each other in the night with perfect safety.

A further object of my invention 1s to provide means for controlling the illuminating effect of head-lights by an appliance which can be attached to an illuminating device on an automobile or the like so as to give the desired result, without in anyway disturbing the operation of the llght or entailing any change in its construction.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings; which show the best form of my invention now known to me; and the characteristics of my invention are precisely defined in the appended claims. This disclosure, however, is illustrative only and I reserve the right to resortto changes, not shown herein, but falling within the scope and spirit of my invention, as the same is indicated by the general meanings of the terms and variations of the claims are expressed.

()n the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of an antiglare appliance according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view partly insection showing how my invention can be mounted upon an ordinary automobile lamp.

Fig. 4 is, a similar diagrammatic view phrase in which showing the mode of operation of the antiglare appliance illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, as seen from the side of the same; and

Fig. 5 is another diagrammatic View showing how an anti-glare appliance according to my invention permits the light rays from a head-lamp to spread out horizontally.

The same numerals identify the same parts throughout.

In the particular description of the draw ings, I refer first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, whereon the numeral 1 indicates a plate or disk of such shape that it can be substituted for the lens or glass face plate usually employed to close the casings of the lamps carried at the front of an automobile. In this plate or disk 1, I make an opening 2, shown as'being semicircular in shape, and located in the upper half of the plate 1 when the latter is in proper position. To the straight edge of this opening 2 I aflix a shelf or ledge 3 and in the opening I mount a plurality of semicircular projector elements 4. These elements 4 are in greater or less number, as required, and they are spaced equidistantly apart, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. Each of the elements 4 is simply a curved strip having its ends secured to the ledge 3 and parallel to the curved edge of the opening 2; the elements all being concentric with rewould meet in a common point directly in front of the middle of the plate 1.

To attach this appliance to a head-lamp of an automobile, the lens or glass plate which generally closes the front of the lamp casing 's removed and the appliance is mounted on the lamp in place of it. The appliance acts to cut off the light of the lower half of the lamp and direct the glare from the upper half downward upon the road-bed, ahead of the machine; thereby preventing any strong being emitted in an upward direction to dazzle the eyes of persons in a car approaching the automobile bearing the lamp.

The utility and merit of my invention will appear clearly from consideration of the diagrammatic views shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The elements 4 are arranged at such an angle that they are parallel to the rays of light emitted by the upper half of the illuminating member 6 after they are thrown forward by the reflector 5. The plate 1 cuts off the rays from the lower half of the lamp entirely, but the rays from the upper half of the lamp pass through the spaces between the elements 4,'are brought to the focus 7; and then illuminate the road 8 ahead; but noneof them can pass directly upward and therefore when one machine meets another, the two can pass in safety. The strong rays are prevented fromfiashing into the eyes of the occupants of the other machine because each lamp can be shaded both by the elements 4 and the lower half of the plate 1. At the same time the rays of the light from the lamp can be diffused horizontally to the same extent as if an ordinary lamp or lens were employed. See Fig. 5.

Of course each head lamp of an automobile can be equipped with my appliance so that the upward glare from both sides of the car can be eliminated completely.

I Fig. 3 shows how an anti-glare appliance can be attached to an ordinary head-lamp in place of the glass which is used on same. I merely take off the glass and put on the plate 1 with the elements 4 in its stead; and then secure the anti-glare appliance against displacement by means of the ring 9. This ring may engage the casing of the lamp by means of a bayonet joint or be secured in any other way, and it will be apparent that my appliance can be attached to a lamp of any construction merely by taking off the glass and putting the appliance. in the place of same. The lenses or glass. face plates of such lamps may be affixed in various ways; but in Fig. 3, the casing 10 is shown as having a ring 9, which fits over the open end of the casing against a rib 11. This ring 9 has' an inturned edge 12 which retains the glass against the rim of the casing 10. I may use the appliance alone or with a dished glass cover 13, having a rim 14. This cover fits rays of light from over the front of the appliance, and the two may be held on together by the ring 9. If desired, the appliance and the cover may be fastened tothe retaining ring, to be handled therewith as a single unit.

The elements 4 and plate 1 are preferably metal or other suitable material, and the convex surfaces of the elements 4 should not be polished, but should be of dull finish.

To secure the elements 4 in the opening 2, they may be soldered to the ledge 3, or have projections on their ends to pass through slots in the shelf 3 and be bent over against the bottom of .the shelf 3.

From this description it will be apparent that my invention is simple and can be employed on any automobile, truck, locomotive, or other vehicle, without necessitating any change in the structure of the lamps with which the vehicle may be equipped. It does not reduce the intensity of the light emitted by the lamp, but merely regulates the direction of the light so as to obviate the glare which would usually be thrown into the eyes of occupants of approaching vehicles; while at the same time it gives the road-bed as much illumination as an ordinary lamp can give.

The space between the ledge 33 and the smallest element 4 is closed at 15, to screen the filament of the bulb G, which has its center at the level of the shelf 3.

The elements 4 should each be arranged at such an angle that the front or outer edge of each, shown at the left in Fig. 2, is closer to the center of the front edge of the shelf 3 than the inner or rear edge of the one immediately below it is spaced from the center of the rear edge of this shelf, which should be horizontal when the appliance is in position. Such a construction is indicated in Figs. 2 and 4, and insures the prevention of any of the intensely liant rays of light from passing through the appliance except downward. At the same time, the convex surfaces of these elements being of dull finish, without being polished, as has been stated, some of the light may strike the concave or lower faces of these elements and be thrown against the convex or upper faces of the adjacent ones and thus be thrown outward and upward to enable the lamp to be seen by one in line with it. These rays, however, are comparatively weak and have not the strong glare that would blind a chauffeur. In other words, any light reflected forward and perhaps upward from the convex faces of the elements 4 serves merely to enable anyone who approaches the lamp or who may be approached by an automobile carrying it to perceive the position of the lamp and thus he informed that a car is approaching; although his eyes may be above the level of the rays which pass through the focus 7 Fig. 4,

briland are directed downward against the roadbed. shown in Fig. 4: by the line 16 passing above the focus 7. If some of the light emitted by the lamp were not allowed to be thrown forward and upward in this way the occupants of an approaching machine could not see a lamp equipped with my anti-glare appliance at all; but with the construction de' scribed, enough light is reflected upward to serve to apprise a beholder that a car is approaching; while all of the strong rays and the dangerous glare of the lamp are directed downward and prevented from passing upward, as already set forth.

The forward edge of each element 4 must be closer to the middle of the front edge of the shelf 3 than the rear edge of the next lower element is to the middle of the rear edge of the shelf because otherwise an observer in line with the lamp could receive some of the strong rays from the reflector 5 passing through between the elements 4 and directly u ward and outward. Thus all the upwar glare would not be eliminated and the eyes of the driver of an approaching car would not be properly shielded.

The elements 4 may be arranged at dif- These comparatively weak rays are ferent angles or all at the same angle; provided that the forward edge of each is closer to the middle of the front edge of the shelf 3, than the rear edge of the next lower is to the middle of rear edge of the shelf 3.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is 2- 1. An anti-glare appliance comprising a platehaving a semi-circular opening in one half of same, a shelf attached to the straight edge of said opening, and a plurality of semi-circular, conical projector elements located in said opening having their ends' attached to said shelf.

2. An anti-glare appliance comprising a name to this specification this 26 day of July, 1919.'

FREDERICK KUSTEB. 

